Emilia Wilton-Godberfforde - The Liar in Seventeenth-Century French Comedy; Liar, liar, pants on fire!
Duration: 1 hour 5 mins
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| Description: | In this colloquium I explore the phenomenon lying and its comic potential. This talk should appeal not only to those working in French literature, cultural studies and intellectual history but to anyone interested in how we communicate or miscommunicate and why we continue to be fascinated by trickery and deception. |
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| Created: | 2015-02-16 15:37 |
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| Collection: | Clare Hall Colloquium |
| Publisher: | Clare Hall |
| Copyright: | Clare Hall |
| Language: | eng (English) |
| Distribution: |
World
(downloadable)
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| Keywords: | 17th Century; Comedy; Literature; Theater; |
| Categories: |
iTunes - Art & Architecture - Theater |
| Explicit content: | No |
| Abstract: | In this colloquium I explore the phenomenon lying and its comic potential. As the playground taunt reminds us, lying is incendiary, subversive and theatrical. The image of the falsifier aflame also points to hell-fire, the punishment inflicted for fraud. When catching the liar out others can enjoy seeing the transparent and hyperbolic nature of the fibber and view the liar as an amusing spectacle.
I look at how lying is presented on the stage in seventeenth century France, reflecting its provocative and scandalous nature and also its flamboyant, histrionic and even explosive dimension. I examine the process whereby characters construct narratives designed to trick, misdirect, dazzle, confuse or exploit their interlocutors. This talk should appeal not only to those working in French literature, cultural studies and intellectual history but to anyone interested in how we communicate or miscommunicate and why we continue to be fascinated by trickery and deception. This talk took place on 25 January 2015. |
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